Double-edged Sword
by ravengal
Summary: [Set in Brawl] Our feelings don't always follow a logical or sensible path... unfortunately for Link and Marth. As they wrestle with their own feelings, it becomes apparent that what they feel is a powerful weapon... that also has the power to hurt its wielder. LinkMarth
1. Illogical

Author's note: Howdy, one and all!

I'm here to pay a tribute to what is possibly the sexiest pairing on the planet... which is also made of delicious crack. Now, don't ask me what I was thinking. I dunno. I only got into Brawl _recently_ and something about this pairing just rubs me the right way.

Anyway, just to be clear, this is yaoi. Shonen-ai. Boy/boy love. If you don't like it, then move along. Simple as. I have no time for the close-minded. XP Sorry to say.

Well, to everyone who's still here, enjoy!

P.S. One of these games (Twilight Princess), I've completed twice. The other (Fire Emblem), I've never played once, so if any facts are wrong (even the tiniest things), let me know and I'll fix them.

P.S.S. This fic was much harder to write than I imagined. It was quite surprising. It's the first time I've ever written for these characters, so I really hope I've, at least, done them justice. It also felt like a divergence from the norm for me, so we'll call it a 'tester fic'.

P.S.S.S. This fic was also just meant to be a one-shot, but (due to both me growing attached to it and the severe lack of Link/Marth on the site), I've decided to add more chapters. You could maybe even call them drabbles, although they're much longer than your average drabble. Lol.

* * *

**Illogical**

Link watched in awe as Marth executed a perfect mid-air Critical Hit, knocking Fox straight out of the arena for the final time. It was as breath-taking as the _first_ time he'd seen it.

"Game!" the announcer cried as the prince landed gracefully back on his feet. "The winner is... Marth!"

Marth swung his sword around and muttered something to himself amidst the cheering crowd.

"Amazing, as always!" Peach cried from nearby.

"Indeed," Zelda agreed. "He's proven himself to be quite the fighter lately."

"Oh, yes! And he's such a handsome young man, too!"

"Careful," Samus said teasingly, "don't let Mario hear you say that."

The three women chuckled.

Link allowed himself the tiniest of smirks as he watched Marth exit the stage. Indeed, the prince _was_ rather good-looking. His features held a strange balance of femininity and masculinity that he, somehow, managed to make work. It was bizarre, but that was Marth for you.

Shaking his head of these thoughts, he stood up from his seat and headed out of the stadium.

* * *

"(Hey, Link!)" Marth called out.

Link stopped and turned to his fellow swordsman with a smile, before nodding and walking over to him. "Hey," he replied.

"(Did you watch my match earlier?)"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"(It didn't seem like Fox was putting up much of a fight. He barely made a grab for that smash ball when it appeared.)"

"Yeah, I noticed."

"(Maybe he's having problems with his girlfriend again. What was her name?)"

"Krystal, I think."

"(Yes, that's the one.)"

Link was grateful to Master Hand that everyone could understand each other in this dimension. It had taken some getting used to, but it was nice that they could all speak in their mother tongues and still understand each other.

As if to illustrate his point, two creatures from the Pokemon world approached one another.

"(Hey there, Jigglypuff!)" Pikachu called out.

"(Hey, Pikachu!)" Jigglypuff replied.

"(Nice hat!)"

Jigglypuff giggled, tipping her sunhat backwards with her paw. "(Thanks! And nice goggles!)"

"(Oh, heh heh...)" Pikachu fidgeted embarrassedly with the goggles on his head. "(Thanks...)"

"(So, how are things going with that rabbit you told me about? What was her name? Buneary?)"

Pikachu blushed. "(Oh! Well... they're going fine... What about you and Whismur?)"

"(Just peachy!)"

Suddenly, Kirby bounded over, holding a microphone. "Jigglypuff!" he cried. "Another duet! Another duet!"

Jigglypuff recoiled in horror. "(_No_!)"

"(Please don't...)" Pikachu said, backing away slowly.

Marth chuckled at the creatures' antics and Link couldn't help but chuckle along with him. The last time Kirby and Jiggypuff had tried a duet, the crowd had fallen asleep clutching their ears in pain.

"(Come on,)" Marth said, "(let's go for a walk.)"

Link nodded. "Sure," he replied.

* * *

Link really enjoyed this dimension. For reasons beyond his understanding, Master Hand had granted him access to what the other fighters had dubbed Smash World whenever he wanted. Maybe it was because, back home, he'd saved Hyrule from being taken over by the Twilight Realm. Maybe it was because he'd been dubbed a hero by the spirits of the springs. If that was the case, he had no idea why some of the other fighters were here, but it didn't really matter. They were an interesting bunch of characters and he enjoyed spending time with them all.

One person that he _particularly_ enjoyed spending time with was Marth.

As the two of them sat together on a bench, Marth began to carefully clean the blade of his Falchion with a cloth. "(You know, I really like this place,)" he said.

"Yeah?" Link asked.

Marth continued to stare at his sword as he cleaned it. "(It's nice, having a fight and not having to worry about any of your troops dying.)"

"I'll bet."

"(And they're only _friendly_ fights, because no one here is out to truly hurt anyone.)

"Yeah." He paused. "I thought you did really well in your fight earlier."

Marth looked up and smiled at him. "(You think so?)"

Link nodded, smiling back. "Yeah." He paused again. "Actually, you _always_ do really well."

"(Well, thank you, but you're no slacker, yourself.)"

"Thanks." He paused again. "But the speed you swing your sword. It's... unreal. I can't swing the Master Sword that fast, unless I grab a smash ball."

"(It comes with years of practice.)"

"And the Falchion's such a nice sword..." He could feel his mouth start to run like a tap, now. "You keep it in such good condition."

"(Thank you... though the same could be said for your Master Sword.)" Marth paused. "(I have also seen you use your Hero's Bow on various occasions. It's a very fine bow.)"

"Thanks."

"(The bow isn't really my specialty, but I can tell that you are very skilled with it.)"

Link could feel himself getting slightly embarrassed. "Well..."

"(So, how are things back in _your_ world?)"

Link recovered from his embarrassment. "Well, lately, I've been teaching Colin how to fight with a wooden sword. The kid still wants to be like _me_ when he grows up... and he asked Beth out a while ago."

"(Oh, good for him.)"

"Yeah. What about _your_ world?"

"(Not much. Life has been very peaceful, of late.)" Marth paused. "(You have a horse, if I recall.)"

"Yeah, Epona."

"(With your experience and vast array of weapons, you would be very useful as a member of my army.)"

This perked Link's interest. "I would?"

"(Yes.)" Swinging his sword, he gracefully slid it back into its sheath. "(You would make a good cavalier... or perhaps a hero, appropriately enough.)"

Link chuckled. "Well, thanks."

"(You're very welcome.)" Marth paused again, his eyes glancing at Link's green tunic for a split second. "(Now, tell me again how you use your Clawshots. That story always fascinates me.)"

Link nodded. "Sure."

As Link avidly explained the intricacies of his Double Clawshots, he inwardly marvelled at how comfortable he was around Marth. Normally, he wasn't one for talking very much. This possibly stemmed from his youth, where he'd been a very shy child who'd been left in Ordon Village by his mother and had had difficulty fitting in. These days, it more out of habit than anything.

However, around Marth, those walls tended to crumble away. Not even his childhood friend and current girlfriend could instill such a need to talk from him.

Ilia. All that he'd been through for her had only strengthened his feelings for her and, sometime after saying goodbye to Midna, Ilia had asked him out. He'd immediatly jumped at the chance and they'd been together ever since. However, despite how happy he was with her, he didn't share the same connection with her as he did with Marth. He'd never been a violent soul, but going on an adventure to save Hyrule had instilled a passion for fighting inside him and, since Ilia was a pacifist that couldn't (and didn't _want_ to) fight, he simply couldn't talk to her about this passion. Marth, however, was his equal in terms of fighting skill and _passion_ for fighting. The two of them could talk for hours about their battles and weapons.

True, there were _other_ brawlers in this dimension that loved weapons, but none of them were quite like Marth. Pit, for example, was a cool guy in his own right, though he could be quite tiresome after a while. His voice had a tendency to grate on the ears (though not quite as much as Sonic's could) and conversations with him tended to either contain several 'Pit' puns or drift towards 'Lady Palutena'. Ike, on the other hand, was fairly quiet and often emitted an aura of being cold and distant. Link could tell that he was a nice guy at heart, but every conversation with him so far hadn't really gotten anywhere.

"(Such interesting weapons.)" Marth placed his hand on the bench.

"Thanks. They were a lucky find." Link placed his hand on the bench, accidentally placing it on top of Marth's. The shock of the touch made him jump and he quickly jerked his hand away. "Sorry!"

"(It's okay...)"

Heart pounding slightly, he looked up at Marth, whose blue eyes shone in the midday sun. His dark blue hair perfectly framed his feminine face, which was delicate yet strong, all at once. One could mistake him for a tomboy, if not for the princely uniform that greatly resembled his _own_ hero's uniform.

He shook away the thoughts. No, he couldn't begin thinking like this. These strange feelings had been plaguing him for a while, now, but he couldn't allow them to take control. He had a girlfriend. Plus, Marth was a guy _and_ came from a different world. Not to mention, the prince had a girlfriend of his own. It was illogical, impractical and downright stupid.

* * *

Marth looked at the Hylian sitting beside him. He had he prettiest blue eyes that he'd ever seen. They perfectly complimented his long pointy ears and dirty blonde hair. Not to mention, those blue earrings he was wearing were strangely alluring.

He shook away his thoughts. No, he couldn't afford to think this way. It was just wrong, on so many levels! He was a guy, who liked girls! Specifically, girls from his own world.

It was difficult to deny that he'd felt something when Link had touched his hand by accident, but he was just going to _have_ to. That was all there was _to_ it. He couldn't be developing feelings for this... this... elf.

Okay, so that was unfair. Link wasn't an elf. He was a hero where he came from, much like _he_ was. In fact, one of the most admirable things _about_ Link was that he'd saved his world by himself, save for the help of a 'Twili', as Link had called her. Whatever battles _he'd_ fought in, he'd always made sure to have an entire army behind him, as he believed that teamwork was key for victory. The thought of redoing all of that with nothing but one person by his side... He just couldn't imagine it.

Another admirable thing about Link was that he was a fantastic listener. Various times in the past, if he'd had a problem and had needed to vent to someone, Link had been the one to go to. Being a quiet individual, he tended not to talk much, unless the subject was one that he was passionate about. It was always strangely adorable whenever he could make the usually silent Hylian run his mouth like a tap. He didn't get this same effect from his girlfriend, who was great to talk to, but not the greatest of listeners.

Shiida. He'd known the princess since childhood, but being in the heat of battle together had only strengthened their companionship. At the conclusion of the war, he'd asked her out and she'd been quick to accept. He was very happy with her, so it was illogical to feel this way around Link, a guy from another world, who had a girlfriend of his own.

"(So, uh...)" Link said, shuffling slightly on the bench, "(I was wondering if we could have a match sometime soon.)"

Marth smiled and cockily brushed his hair from his eyes. "Certainly," he replied. "I would like that very much."

Link nodded, then looked down at his green tunic. "(I was... thinking of wearing my _red_ tunic for it. What do you think?)

"Every one of your tunics suits you very well. Go with whichever you like."

Link looked back up at him. "(Yeah?)"

"Of course."

Link smiled. "(Well, thanks.)"

Marth's mouth continued to run, without much thought going into what he was saying. "Perhaps I should also wear _my_ red tunic. It might be interesting to match up our colours for the fight."

Link blinked at him. "(You wanna match up?)"

"Yes. It would be my honour to wear the same colour as you."

Link blinked again, then tilted his head and gave him an exceedingly warm smile. "(Thanks.)"

Marth could feel his breath catch in his throat at the sight. Coupled with the sunlight shining at the perfect angle through Link's dirty blonde hair, that smile looked... magical. He got the strangest desire, in that moment, to lean across the bench and plant a gentle kiss on the Hylian's lips. He stared at him, unable to look away.

"(Leave me alone!)" a voice cried.

Marth snapped out of his trance and looked to the side of him. A much younger Link, who looked rather freaked out, ran past, being chased by a giggling Waddle Dee that was wearing a bandana. After a few moments, they were gone.

Marth looked away again. Normally, he'd find a scene like that very amusing (especially since it reminded him that there were two Links in this world, one of which the other fighters liked to call Toon Link), but the fact was, he was rather shaken by what he shouldn't have even _considered_ doing, but _did_...

He stood up and brushed imaginary dust off his cape to busy himself, then cleared his throat. "Well..." he said, "I heard Ike has a match later on, so I want to be able to watch that."

"(Oh, sure.)" Link also stood up. "(Then maybe we can... arrange that match?)"

"Certainly."

The two of them headed towards the stadium, walking side-by-side. Marth glanced sideways at Link, who seemed to be lost in thought. He looked away again. He didn't really understand what he was feeling for the Hylian or _why_ he was feeling it. He only knew one thing: whatever it was, he had to try his best to ignore it. It was impractical and simply... illogical.


	2. Memories - Part 1

Author's note: Hi again!

So, as it now states in the previous 'chapter', this one-shot has now turned into a fic of sorts. Each 'chapter' will be more like a long drabble and will not run on perfectly from the previous 'chapter', as is what tends to usually happen in my fics.

Here's hoping you enjoy it!

P.S. Again, if I've made any mistakes, with regards to Fire Emblem, please let me know.

P.P.S. Whoa. This thing ended up being way way way way _waaaay_ longer than I wanted. XD So, instead, it'll be cut into two parts. Jeez. This is something I never ever do, but my lack of Microsoft Word right now is making it very difficult to monitor my writing.

... Eh, who am I kidding? XD It would have probably been in two parts anyway. It's just that freaking long.

* * *

**Memories - Part 1 **

It was a surprisingly cold day in Smash World. Link, who was clad in a blue tunic for the day, kept him arms wrapped around him to provide warmth as he watched the match in the stadium below. On the seat beside him was Marth, who was clad in a green tunic and sitting with his hands in his lap. If Link had to guess, he was simultaneously trying to look tough _and_ princely at the same time. He seemed to pull both off rather well.

Turning his attention back to the match, he honestly couldn't help but marvel, even to this day, at what he was seeing. The two most cold-hearted people in Smash World, one of which was his arch-nemesis, were having a friendly fight. To top it off, they were having this match on what Master Hand had called Pokemon Stadium 2. It was bizarre. As Ganondorf knocked Bowser out of the stadium and depleted the koopa king's final stock ball, Link still thought it was weird seeing the demon thief again.

"Game!" the announer cried. "The winner is... Ganondorf!"

Ganondorf folded his arms and laughed at the crowd. Link couldn't help but roll his eyes at the man's cockiness.

"(Well, I think I'm done here,)" Marth said, standing up. "(You coming, Link?)

Link looked up and him and smiled. "Sure," he replied.

* * *

The two swordsmen passed by a fountain on their walk and, just for the fun of it, Link decided to pull a green rupee out of his pouch and toss it in the water.

_I wish for a long an happy life,_ he thought to himself.

"(That _could_ be considered littering, you know,)" Marth said.

Link smiled at him. "I know," he replied, "but, if anyone wants to pick it up, they can." That earned a small smile from the prince.

After a while of walking, they decided to settle down in one of the log cabins that were dotted around the area, which were reserved specially for cold days like this. As Marth settled into one of the armchairs, Link closed the door behind him, headed over to the fireplace and knelt down by it to get it started.

Eventually, after much effort, a fire was burning. Standing up again, Link headed over to another armchair and sat down on it with a happy sigh.

"(Nice work.)"

"Thanks."

There was a while of comfortable silence between them. Glancing over at Marth, Link could see that the prince was staring contemplatively into the flames of the fire. He wondered what he could be thinking about, but decided not to ask. If Marth wanted to tell him, though, he'd be willing to listen.

Instead, he cast his mind around for something else to think about and his mind landed on Ilia. Ah, Ilia. She really didn't like that he constantly travelled to another world to fight for fun. In her mind, there was no such thing as a fun fight. He'd assured her that he couldn't really get hurt in this world, but she'd still been disapproving. However, being the loving and supporting girlfriend that she was, she let him do it, simply because she knew it made him happy. He smiled. As bad a temper as that girl could have sometimes, she had a good heart and was always thinking of others.

It reminded him of the time he first met her...

* * *

"You remember me, Link?" the blonde-haired man asked, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm Rusl."

"Promise me you'll take good care of him," a woman with long dirty blonde hair and pointed ears said.

Rusl looked up at her. "I promise."

"Mom?" Link asked in a quiet voice. "When are you coming back?"

The woman was silent for a moment, her green eyes masking all emotion. "I'll... see you around, Link." She turned and briskly walked away.

"Mom?" Link raised his voice slightly. "Mom?"

Soon enough, she was gone. Link stared sadly at the ground, unsure what was going on.

"Hey, Link..." Rusl said. Link didn't look up at him. "How about we introduce you to everyone? I don't think you've met Uli." Link didn't answer. "Come on." Rusl led him into the village, where Link instanly noticed a lot of people bustling around. He instinctlvely looked back at the ground. "Hey, Uli!"

A blonde-haired woman, who was tending to a pumpkin patch, turned around. "Oh, there you are, Rusl!" she replied, standing up and turning around. "Where have you-? Who's this?"

Feeling embarrassed and scared, Link hid behind Rusl.

"This is Link. His mother is an old friend of mine... and he'll be living in Ordon Village from now on."

"Living here, you say?" a deep voice asked.

Link became quite terrified when a large man, who appeared to be growing tusks out of his face, approached him. Squeaking in fright, he hid his face in Rusl's shirt.

"Ah, Mayor Bo!" Rusl said.

"Hmm... this boy is a Hylian, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is."

"Welcome to Ordon Village, my boy! What's your name?"

Link didn't answer.

"His name is Link."

"Link?" a much higher-pitched voice asked. Link glanced up from Rusl's shirt to see a blonde-haired girl, who was younger than him, appear beside the mayor's side. She was giving him a curious look. She smiled. "Hi there! I'm Ilia!"

When he didn't move, Rusl let go of his hand and ushered him towards the girl. He felt himself freeze in fear.

"Well, go on, Link. Say hi."

"... H... Hi..." he said.

"Maybe we should leave them alone for a bit to play together," Uli suggested.

"That's a great idea!" Bo replied. "Ilia, sweetheart, would you mind spending some time with Link?"

"Of course not, Daddy!" she replied.

"Alright, then," Rusl said, "let's go for now."

The adults left them alone, leaving Link to stare awkwardly at his feet with a rather large blush on his face.

"You have pointy ears!" Ilia said. Link nodded. She giggled, then grabbed his hand and pulled him along. He yelped in surprise. "Come on, I'll show you the spring!"

* * *

Marth heard Link chuckle across the room. Curious, he turned to the Hylian. "Something amusing you, Link?" he asked.

"(Hmm?)" Link replied, looking up at him. He chuckled again. "(I was just remembering how I met Ilia.)"

Marth blinked, not really expecting that response. "I see."

"(It was... quite a day...)" Link leaned his chin on his hands and stared contemplatively into the fire.

Turning away, Marth also continued to stare into the fire. How strange that Link had been thinking about Ilia when _he_ had been thinking about Shiida.

His girlfriend had never really approved of him coming to Smash World, as she was still convinced that his life was in danger, despite how many times he'd told her that it was safe. He couldn't really blame her, though. After so many of his soldiers had died in the last war, fighting to protect their kindgom, it was only natural that she would be worried.

He still remembered the day he'd met her, long before his exile to her kindgom...

* * *

"Cornelius!" a white-haired man said as he approached. A blue-haired girl walked beside him. "Greetings, old friend!"

"Mostyn!" Cornelius replied. "So good to see you!"

"And Liza! Lovey to see you again!"

"You too, Mostyn," Liza replied. She indicated the two blue-haired youngsters beside her husband. "You remember our children?"

"Ah, yes, of course! Elice and Marth, right?"

"Yes, sir," Elice replied. Marth briefly glared at the man, then looked away.

"Shiida, say hello to the prince and princess of Altea."

Shiida stepped forward and grinned. "Hi!" he said. "I'm a princess, too!"

"Great," Marth mumbled. He didn't want to be here and certainly didn't want to talk to any girls.

"Now, Marth..." Liza said, "don't be rude to Shiida." Marth didnt respond, instead glaring in the other direction.

"... You don't like me, do you?" Shiida ased quietly. He turned to her, only to see that she looked quite sad. "I'll leave you alone, if you want." He blinked at her, not quite sure what to say.

"Marth," Cornelius said, "maybe it's best if you spent some time with Shiida and got to know her a bit."

His defiant nature wanted to refuse, but something about the look on Shiida's face made him change his mind. He brushed his hair to one side. "Sure..." he replied.

A bright smile appeared on Shiida's face. She giggled. "Thanks!" she said.

* * *

Link turned away from the fire to look back at Marth, who had the gentlest of smiles on his face as he gazed into the flames. It was such a delicate smile, one that was seldom seen on the prince. Perhaps he was thinking of Shiida, just as _he_ had been thinking of Ilia. The thought made him strangely uneasy, as if there was something _wrong_ with the two of them thinking about their girlfriends in each other's presence.

He shook it off. No, that was stupid. There was nothing wrong with it at all. Besides, he'd told himself that he wasn't going to venture down that rabbit hole again. Nothing awaited him down there, besides darkness and damp walls. Instead, he continued to watch Marth, who seemed unaware that he was being obsevered, and cast his mind back to when he'd first met the prince. It had been a very strange day...

* * *

Link slept peacefully in his bed, dreaming that he and his new girlfriend, Ilia, were splashing around in Ordon Spring, when the dream suddenly halted. Everything went black around him.

He looked around, confused. "What's going on?" he asked. "Ilia?" A giant gloved hand materialised in front of him. He stumbled back in shock. "What the-?"

"Relax, young Hylian," the hand said. "I mean no harm." Link relaxed slightly. "I sense that your daily life no longer holds the excitement you desire. I have the solution to this."

Link's eyes widened. "You do?"

"Yes." The hand waved around and a strange flute attached to the end of a necklace appeared in Link's hands. "This is a Smash Call."

Link examined it. "A Smash Call?"

"Yes. Blowing into it grants you access to another dimension... my home dimension... where you may fight to your heart's content, with no risk to yourself."

Link was skeptical. "Yeah?"

"Yes. If you do not wish to visit the dimension, you are not obligated to... but the offer will remain open for you." The hand disappeared.

Blinking himself awake, Link was just thinking what a strange dream it had been when he noticed something dangling from his closed hand: the flute necklace.

"_Hyaaaargh_!" he screamed, jumping out of bed.

Heart pounding, he inspected the necklace; it was the exact same one that the gloved hand in his dream had given to him. He couldn't believe it.

For the next ten minutes, he paced around his room, trying to decide whether or not to investigate this 'other dimension'. How safe was it? Could he get back? The hand had mentioned fighting without any risk to himself. He had to admit, the idea sounded rather appealing. Eventually, he decided to change into his hero's outfit and go.

A while later, the necklace now around his neck, he stared at the flute in his hand, thinking about reconsidering. No, he was going to do this. The hand was right; he _did_ want more excitement in his life. It had been a while since he'd killed Ganon and saved Hyrule, leaving him with no reason to fight anymore. Sure, he enjoyed his time with Ilia, but a little more excitement would be nice.

Blowing a tune into the flute, he waited for something to happen. After a few moments, he promptly blacked out.


	3. Memories - Part 2

Author's note: Hi again!

Well, here's the other half to Memories that was originally going to be on the previous page. XD Oh well. This way, it's in more bite-sized pieces for you all.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Memories - Part 2**

Blinking awake, Link looked around him. It appeared he was still standing, somehow, and there was a large crowd of people around him. As his vision cleared, he was able to see them better and he stumbled in shock. Where had all these people come from? They all looked so different! They certainly weren't all from the same dimension, that was for sure.

"Link?" a voice asked.

He looked to the side of him and saw Princess Zelda. He blinked in surprise. "Zelda?" he asked.

"The hand also visited _you_ in your dream?"

"Yeah. I-"

"Link? Zelda?" a young voice asked.

Link looked down and saw a more cartoony version of himself looking up at him in wonder. He gawked. "Wha-?"

"I'm called Link, too! I also know a Zelda! Well, technically, Tetra, but still!"

"Interesting..." Zelda said. "It seems we have duplicates in alternate realties, Link."

"Yeah..." Link replied, still staring at the other Link.

"Did you _also_ receive a magic spell in your dream?"

He finally looked back at her. "No, I got a whistle. The hand called it a-" He froze at what he saw. He gaze darkened and his hand immediately grabbed his Master Sword.

"Link?" Zelda turned around. "What's-?" She also froze, then a ball of Din's Fire erupted from her palm. "Ganondorf."

"_Hyaaaargh_!" the smaller Link yelled. "_Ganondorf_?"

Ganondorf scowled at them. "Now, this isn't a very welcome reception, is it?" he asked. Smirking, he raised a fist that glowed purple. "Just who do you two think you are?"

There was a shocked paused between the Hylians. "You don't... remember us?" Zelda asked.

"Not in the slightest... so you're clearly too _insignificant_ for me to remember."

Link scowled. After all this man had put them through, he was going to claim that he didn't remember them? How dare he. He drew his sword and shield, taking up a defensive stance.

"You should be dead," he said.

Ganondorf laughed. "Delusional fool. A man of my power can _never_ die! How dare you even _think_ such a thing!"

He suddenly lunged forward. Link quickly held up his shield and Ganondorf's fist connected with it with a loud clang. He held fast as the fist continued to push against the shield, sending his feet sliding slightly across the gravel. Making his other fist glow purple, Ganondorf swung around the Hylian Shield. Thinking quickly, Link lowered his shield and raised his sword, causing the fist to collide with the blunt side of the blade. The crowd around them gasped, all backing away as the two pushed against each other, each trying to overpower the other.

"Link!" Zelda cried.

She threw a burst of flames, which struck Ganondorf in the side of the face. He recoiled, pulling away, then drew his sword with a snarl.

"Little whelp!" He swung it at Zelda. Link was about to block it with the Master Sword, but another sword entirely intercepted it. "What-?"

The owner of the sword appeared to be around Link's age, wearing a very expensive-looking tunic and some sort of tiara in his hair.

He looked up at Ganondorf through his blue bangs. "(That is quite enough,)" he said.

Link blinked. What language was that? It certainly wasn't one he knew, but, then, how was he able to understand it?

"You heard him," a voice said. Link looked to the side of him and was surprised to see the giant gloved hand floating nearby. The hand clicked its fingers and, suddenly, Ganondorf's arms and legs snapped together. He seemed unable to move. "Behave yourself." Ganondorf glared at him, apparently unable to talk, as well.

A lot of the people in the crowd seemed to put themselves on guard at the sight of the hand. Others gasped.

"What _is_ that?" a small blonde-haired boy asked.

"I am known as Master Hand. This dimension is my home... and I have invited you all here for one reason: to enjoy yourselves in friendly fights." The fighters glanced around at each other. "You were not forced to come here, neither will you be forced to stay. You are all free to come and go as you please. You need only use the means I provided to _get_ you here." Excited whispers broke out. "All the arrangements have been made for this to be a safe fighting environment. You can neither be hurt..." He appeared to glance towards the blue-haired man. "Nor killed here. Think of it as rather like..." He appeared to glance at a blue jackal, a yellow mouse and a pink cat. "A Pokemon battle."

"Pokemon?" a small boy in a baseball cap asked in confusion.

"That sounds like fun!" a blonde-haired woman in a pink dress said.

"Yeah," someone in a futuristic metal suit added, "this sounds like something I could get into."

"Also..." Master Hand said, appearing to glance at Link and Zelda. "The reason why your adversary does not recognise you is because he is from a different branch of your timeline. He is not the same one you remember." Link's eyes widened. "Well... I will leave you to your introductions for now. Get to know your fellow fighters. You will understand each other perfectly, because of my magical translator, so there is no need to worry about that. Enjoy yourselves." He disappeared.

The group looked at each other awkwardly for a minute.

"Alright!" a blue hedgehog said wih a smirk. "Everybody in a circle!" They all complied, including Ganondorf, who seemed to be able to move now. Link kept a close eye on him. "I'm Sonic! Freelance hedgehog and fastest thing alive!"

"I'm Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kindgom!" the blonde-haired woman in the pink dress said. She giggled.

"I'm-a Mario!" the red plumber next to her said. "Also from-a de Mushroom Kingdom!"

"I'm-a Luigi!" the green plumber next to him said. "Mario's-a younger brother!"

"(I'm Yoshi!)" the green dinosaur next to him said. "(The Mario Brothers' best friend and trusty steed!)"

"And I'm Bowser," the giant green turtle next to him growled, "king of the koopas and Mario's worst nightmare." He pointed a clawed finger at Mario. "And don't you forget it!" Mario rolled his eyes.

"(I'm Donkey Kong!)" the ape next to him said. "(Same story. Also from the Mushroom Kingdom!)"

"(I'm Diddy Kong!)" the monkey next to him said, jumping around. "(Donkey Kong's nephew!)"

The yellow plumber next to him laughed. "And I'm-a Wario!" he said. "Also from-a de Mushroom Kingdom! Give me your money!"

"We certainly have a lot of people from this 'Mushroom Kingdom'..." the person in the futuristic metal suit next to him said. They removed their helmet to reveal a blonde-haired woman. "I'm Samus, a bounty hunter." She said no more on the matter.

The man in the helmet next to her saluted. "I'm Captain Falcon!" he said. "F-Zero pilot..." He glanced at Samus. "And also a bounty hunter."

Samus looked at him in intrigue. "Huh."

"I'm Red!" the boy in the cap next to her said. "A Pokemon trainer who's gonna be a Pokemon Master someday!"

"(Hi!)" the yellow mouse next to him said. "(I'm Pikachu! A Pokemon from _this_ guy's world!)" He pointed at Red.

"(And I'm Jigglypuff!)" the pink cat next to him said. "(_Also_ a Pokemon!)" She held a pen to her mouth. "(Wanna hear me sing?)"

"(Argh!)" Pikachu yelled. He swiped the pen from her hand. "(M-Maybe later, Jigglypuff!)"

She puffed her cheeks angrily at him. "(Hey!)"

While she tried to wrestle the pen back, the blue jackal next to her folded his arms. "I am Lucario," he said, "and I, too, am a Pokemon."

"I'm Kirby!" the pink puffball next to him said. "I'm from Dream Land! And I like singing, _too_!"

Jigglypuff stopped wrestling with Pikachu to smile at him. "(You do?)" she asked.

The penguin next to the puffball smacked him on the head. "Don't you dare, Kirby!" he yelled. He then casually lifted a hand. "Sup. I'm King Dedede of Dream Land." He indicated the reddish-creatures to him. "And these are my minions, Waddle Dees and Waddle Doos."

One of the creatures, which was wearing a bandana, waved. "Hi!" he said.

The strange creature in armour next to him was silent for a moment. "I'm Meta Knight," he said. He looked away for a moment. "Also from Dream Land."

"I'm Pit!" the winged boy next to him said with a huge grin. "I'm an angel!"

"I'm Fox," the orange fox next to him said, "Arwing pilot and leader of the Star Fox team."

"And I'm Falco!" the blue pheasant next to him said. "Fellow Arwing pilot!"

"I'm Wolf," the grey wolf next to him said. He glanced at Fox with a smirk. "Wolfen pilot and leader of the Star Wolf team."

"I'm Ness!" the small boy in the baseball cap next to him said. "I come from Eagleland!"

"I'm Lucas," the small blonde-haired boy next to him, who looked like he might be from the same world as him, said. "I'm from Tazmily Village..."

"I'm Princess Zelda of Hyrule," Zelda said from beside Link.

"I'm Link," Link said, "also from Hyrule."

"I'm _also_ Link!" the smaller Link next to him said.

"Whoa, hold the phone!" Pit cried. "There's _two_ of you?"

"Apparently so," Zelda replied.

"Well, that's going to get confusing..." Peach said.

"How about we just call hm Young Link?" Samus suggested.

"Hmm..." Pit said. He snapped his fingers. "I've got it!" He pointed at the smaller Link. "He looks kinda toony, so we'll call him Toon Link!"

Everyone around Pit laughed, while Toon Link simply pouted at him.

"Anyway..." Zelda said, indicating the blue-haired man from earlier, "moving on..."

"(I am Prince Marth of Altea,)" the blue-haired man replied.

Next to him, Ganondorf folded his arms and closed his eyes. "I am Ganondorf," he said. "Gerudo king. Demon thief. Future ruler of Hyrule." A small fire appeared in Zelda's palm when he said this.

"I am R.O.B.," the robot next to him said.

"Rob?" Peach asked.

"Robotic Operating Buddy."

"Oh."

"(I'm. Mr. Game. and. Watch,)" the two-dimensional man next to him said in a series of beeps.

"I'm Olimar," the man in a spacesuit next to him said, "from Planet Hocotate." He indicated the flower creatures next to him. "And these are Pikmin." The red one waved.

"I'm Popo!" the boy in a blue parka next to him said.

"I'm Nana!" the girl in a pink parka next him said. "And, together, we're..."

They high-fived and spoke at the same time. "The Ice Climbers!"

"I'm Ike," the blue-haired man next to them said. He folded his arms. "Leader of the Greil Mercenaries and originally from Gallia."

"And I'm Snake," the man in camouflage next to him said. "Former spy, special operations soldier and mercenary from America."

Once the introductions were done, the group decided to mingle, some choosing to go for a walk with other fighters. When Link eventually determined that Ganondorf posed no current threat, he turned to Prince Marth with a smile.

"Hey," he said, "thanks for earlier."

Marth brushed the hair from his eyes. "(It was my pleasure,)" he replied.

"Why did you decide to help me?"

"(Ganondorf attacked first. You were merely defending. It seemed the right thing to do.)"

"Oh, okay." Link paused for a minute, unsure whether to ask his next question. "Prince Marth?"

"(You may call me Marth.)"

"Oh, thanks. Marth?"

"(Yes, Link?)"

"Do you wanna... walk around with me for a bit?"

Marth nodded. "(Of course.)"

* * *

Link smiled at the prince. Yep, it had been a very strange day indeed. He'd met people from dimensions that he hadn't even known had existed and had fought an alternate version of Ganondorf, whom he _still_ couldn't believe had agreed to join in on the friendly fighting. He couldn't say he regretted it, though. He'd discovered an amazing new world and had made an amazing new friend.

He was still very grateful that Marth had stepped in to help him fend off Ganondorf. Who knows what would have happened otherwise. Maybe one of the other fighters would have stepped in, instead. Although, if that had happened, then he probably wouldn't be such good friends with Marth today.

He looked down at his knees. In fact, if he'd gone with his original instinct and ignored his dream, thereby never coming to Smash World in the first place, he'd have never even known Marth existed. He shuddered.

"(Link?)" Marth said.

Link looked up at him. "Hmm?" he replied.

Marth smiled. "(Apparently, Zelda will be trying the hundred-man brawl in a while. I assume you'll want to watch that?)"

Link's eyes lit up. "Yeah? Well, of course!"

Marth chuckled. "(I thought so.)" He shuffled around slightly on the armchair and angled himself towards Link. "(In the meantime, why not tell me more stories? They're always fascinating to hear.)"

Link nodded. "Sure."

He began telling the story of the Spinner that he'd found in the Arbiter's Grounds, all the while marvelling at the bond they shared. They came from two separate worlds, spoke two separate languages and lived two separate lives, yet they gelled so well together. It was incredible.


	4. Decoration

Author's note: Hello again! And welcome to another installment of Link/Marth!

Seriously, there needs to be SO much more Link/Marth on the internet, both in art AND fics. A girl (me) could die from the massive withdrawal symptoms.

And PLEASE tell me they're not too OOC... I would simply die if they were... XD I tried so hard, man!

P.S. Wow, this is quite a bit shorter than the other drabbles. It wasn't my intention, but there wasn't much more I could add. Hope you like it anyway!

P.P.S. For anyone who's wondering, I didn't forget about Melee _or_ the first game. I personally imagine them as still happening, but elsewhere in the universe. Maybe there's another Master Hand inviting another Marth (from the original Fire Emblem) and another Link (from Ocarina Of Time) to fight in another Smash World. Who knows. Lol.

P.P.P.S. Also, the Ganondorf in this fic _is_ Twilight Princess Ganondorf, just not the same one that Link killed. He comes from a different Twilight Princess where he's still alive. Kind of confusing, I know, but just roll with it. XD

Onward!

* * *

**Decoration**

It was a fairly warm day. Not too hot, not too cold. Just right for the fighters that had gathered in Smash World. Not all of them were there, of course. That was just the case when they could come and go as they pleased. Today, for example, Zelda had decided to stay in Hyrule. Link assumed it was probably for business reasons and didn't question it. She _was_ the princess, after all, so she probably had a lot to do.

Then again, Marth was the prince where _he_ came from, yet he quite often found the time to hang out with him in this strange dimension. Not that he was complaining, of course. His company was always appreciated, especially since Link came here a lot himself. After all, it wasn't like he had anything better to do in his home world than herd goats every day.

After watching a gruelling twenty-stock match between Dedede and Bowser - who seemed to need to prove which of them was the better king - Link and Marth were currently sitting on their favourite bench in the sunshine, both wearing green tunics. Link could still feel the sore spot on his face - though it wasn't sore anymore - where that last Waddle Dee had hit him.

"(That was quite a match, wasn't it?)" Marth asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "Kinda pointless, if you ask _me_, though."

Marth nodded. "(I know what you mean. Even though Bowser won... barely... I don't think Dedede will let it go so easily.)"

"Probably not." He rubbed his cheek absent-mindedly. "I just hope they don't kill each other over it."

"(Indeed.)" Marth paused. "(So, is your face feeling any better?)"

"A little."

"(Tsk. Dedede was being so reckless with his Waddle Dee Army. It was very unlike him.)"

"He was just desperate to beat Bowser, I guess."

"(Mmm.)"

Link sat back on the bench and enjoyed the feel of a gentle breeze across his face. Across from him, he could see Toon Link, Ness and Lucas playing tag around the fountain. He smiled at the sight.

Suddenly, his head began to itch quite violently under his cap, for no apparent reason. He wondered if it was the warm weather that was causing it, but merely shrugged and took off his cap to scratch his head. "Ahhh, that's better."

"(... Link...)"

"Hmm?" He looked over at Marth.

Marth was blinking at him in awe. He felt somewhat uncomfortable under the gaze. "(... I've never seen you without your hat before.)"

This surprised him. "You haven't?"

"(No...)" Marth paused. "(You look... rather different without it.)"

He looked at the cap in his hand. Actually, come to think of it, when _was_ the last time he'd taken this thing off in Smash World? Had he _ever_ taken it off here?

"Huh..."

"(Why do you never take it off, anyway?)"

He looked back at the prince. "I never really thought about it, but I guess it's just 'cause it's part of the outfit." He thought about it for a moment. "Like your tiara is just part of _your_ outfit."

Marth's face curled itself into a deadly scowl. "(For your information, this is _not_ a tiara.)" Link withdrew slightly in shock. Marth turned away with a huff. "(It is a royal headpiece that symbolises my status and leadership.)"

Link held up his hands in defence. "Whoa, okay, sorry!" He paused. "It just really looks like a tiara, that's all."

Marth turned to glare at him. "(It is _not_ a tiara! I am tired of having this discussion with people.)"

Link blinked, lowering his hands. "Someone's called it a tiara _before_?"

Marth heaved a sigh. "(Yes. Quite a _few_ people, in fact...)"

"I see..."

Marth relaxed into a half-glare. "(Besides, _you're_ one to talk, wearing a nightcap.)"

Anger boiled inside Link. "A _nightcap_?" He thrust the cap in front of Marth's face. "This is _not_ a nightcap! It's part of the hero's uniform that I got from the spirit Ordona!"

"(Now you know how _I_ feel when people call my royal headpiece a tiara.)"

Link immediately calmed down, placing the cap back on his lap. "Sorry."

"(I'm sorry too. I know perfectly well that it's not a nightcap...)" Marth gave a slight smirk. "(Despite how much it may look like one.)"

Link huffed, smirking slightly himself. "Says you and your headpiece that looks like a tiara." He relaxed and smiled. "It does suit you, though."

"(Thank you. Your cap also suits _you_ quite _well_.)"

Link glanced down at his cap, then glanced back at Marth. He had a very strange idea. "Say... I wonder if it'd suit _you_..."

Marth blinked at him. "(I beg your pardon?)"

He waved his cap around. "Try my cap on and see if it suits you!"

Marth looked uneasy. "Well..."

He smiled. "Come onnnn... I'll look after your tiara, if you do." Marth glared at him. He laughed. "Alright, alright... your 'royal headpiece'."

Marth angrily snatched his cap from him, though the small twinkle in his blue eyes told Link that he was laughing on the inside. "(Alright, fine...)"

"Here, lemme get that."

He reached over and gripped the headpiece, gently sliding it from Marth's head. His fingertips brushed against a few strands of blue hair and he had to suck in a breath at how incredibly soft they felt.

Eventually, he pulled the headpiece loose and held it carefully on his lap.

"(Thank you.)" Marth glanced down at the cap in his hands.

"Your hair's very soft. Do you use special conditioner?"

The tiniest of blushes appeared on Marth's face, which greatly amused Link. "(Hmph. I happen to take pride in my appearance.)"

Link blinked. "Are you saying that I _don't_?"

One of Marth's eyebrows twitched. "(That's not what I meant.)"

"Oh, okay." He vaguely wondered what Marth thought of _his_ appearance, but shook it off. It wasn't really important.

"(... This is going to mess up my hair, isn't it?)" Link stared incredulously at him, then laughed. Marth scowled. "(What?)"

"Don't worry about it, Marth. You can straighten your hair out again later."

Marth rolled his eyes. "(Yeah, yeah.)"

Link ran a few strands of his own hair between his finger and thumb in thought. "Though it might explain why _my_ hair's a mess... Oh, well."

Marth smiled at him. "(Well, the style oddly suits you, so I doubt you need to worry about it.)"

"You think?" Link smiled. "Thanks."

Marth took a small breath, then put the cap on his head. It fell slightly over his eyes. "(Well? How does it look?)"

"Hmm..." Link analysed it. "It _kinda_ suits you... though it looks a bit big."

"(Mmm.)" The prince fidgeted with the sides of the cap. "(It does feel slightly too big.)"

"I guess I've got a slightly bigger _head_ than you, then."

"(I guess...)" Marth smiled. "(Though that _could_ mean a bigger brain.)"

Link laughed. "Thanks." He looked at the headpiece in his lap. "Hmm..." Raising it to his head, he started to slide it over his hair.

"(... What are you doing?)"

"Seeing if this will suit me." Once it was in place, he held out his arms. "How does it look?"

Marth blinked at him. A short silence followed, where those pretty blue eyes continued to stare at him. "(It... _kind_ of suits you...)" Marth gave him a small smirk. "(Although it does blend in a bit too much with your hair.)"

Link lowered his arms and chuckled. "Yeah?" He fidgeted with the headpiece slightly, the metal rather tight against his head. "It does seem a bit too small, too."

"(Well, I'm sorry for having a smaller head than you.)"

"And _I'm_ sorry for having a _bigger_ head than _you_!" The two of them laughed. Suddenly, another thought came to Link. "Hey! Let's go look at ourselves in the mirror!"

Marth gave a dramatic sigh, still smiling. "(If you insist...)"

* * *

Marth tried to hide a chuckle as Link posed in front of the full-body mirror in the, thankfully, empty dressing room that the fighters all used at their leisure. He had to admit, although they both did kind of suit the new headgear - especially since it matched their green tunics - they did also look rather ridiculous. He just hoped that Link wouldn't break his royal headpiece from having slightly too large a head.

However, when he'd _first_ seen Link wearing his headpiece, it had been quite a moment. He hadn't really known _what_ to feel, honestly. Link, his best friend in Smash World, was wearing his headpiece and it had made him look - to put it bluntly - very pretty. It had given his normally ruggish good looks an edge of femininity that Marth wasn't entirely comfortable with, especially since it went quite well with the Hylian's earrings.

Heck, even _without_ the cap had been quite a moment. He didn't look like the Link he knew without the cap, but at the same time, the sight of those golden locks blowing freely in the breeze had created weird butterflies in his stomach. Shaking off the memory, he focused on their reflections.

Link pulled out his Master Sword and waved it around. "(Everyone, please watch me!)" he said.

Marth lowered his eyelids at him. "Oh, very funny..." he replied.

Link pulled his sword close to him in a counter. "(There!)"

He sighed in exasperation, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Link..."

Link spun his sword twice, then pointed it at the ground. "(This time, it's _my_ victory, isn't it?)"

He groaned, utterly fed up with the mockery. "Alright, fine!" He grabbed his Falchion and unsheathed it. "You want to play this game? Well..." He stabbed it into the air above his head. "Hyaaaargh!"

Link stared, wide-eyed, at him. He stared back with furrowed eyebrows, then suddenly realised what he'd done. Blushing slightly, he quickly re-sheathed his sword.

After a few long moments of silence, Link burst out laughing.

Marth still felt embarrassed, but the tension had now eased. He allowed himself a tired smile in Link's direction.

"(Wow, Marth, that was a great impression of me! Can you do any more?)"

He looked away awkwardly. "I don't think I _should_..."

"(Oh, come onnnn...)" Marth said nothing. "(Well, okay, then.)" Link sheathed his sword. "(Today, I have survived.)"

Marth turned and gave Link's shoulder a playful shove, smirking at him. "(Oy. Quit it.)"

Link formed a cross with his fingers. "(I won't let you!)"

Marth groaned. "Alright, alright... fine..." He pulled his sword out again, then did a perfect imitation of Link's hidden skill taunt. He swung the sword around his torso, then around the back of his head, then pretended to sheath it on his back. "Happy now?" He sheathed it by his side.

Link laughed again. "(Very.)" He placed his fingers around the headpiece on his head. "(Do you want your tiara back now?)"

Marth glared at him half-heartedly. "Only if _you_ want your nightcap back."

Link grinned at him and took off the headpiece. Marth took off the cap and they swapped back, placing their own headgear back on their heads.

"(So, how about we get something to eat? I'm kinda hungry.)"

"Hmm... yes, I'm rather hungry, too... Alright. Lead the way."

Link nodded. "(Okay. Let's go!)"

The two of them made their way to the kitchen, Link in front and Marth behind, both chuckling the entire way there.


	5. Comrades-in-arms - Part 1

Author's note: Hey, everyone! Welcome back to MarthLink Land!

By the way, for those of you who might not know, I have another Link/Marth fic called All-Star Academy. It's currently a comedy and even includes the Melee characters! Whoo!

There's also some screenshots of a couple of scenes from both fics that can be found on my profile... as well as various Link/Marth screenshots that can be found in my DeviantArt scraps.

Anyway, please enjoy the drabble!

This is my first time writing a Smash Brothers fight scene... aheh... so I hope you like it! I gave myself a monumental task, doing this for a first battle. Oyyy... Was it worth it? You decide.

Also, I decided to split it in half, coz it was fairly long.

**Chapter Five: Comrades-in-arms - Part 1**

Link, clad in his red tunic, materialised in a small tornado and stood firm, his Master Sword and Hylian Shield at the ready and his cap billowing behind him in the strong breeze. Off to one side, Marth appeared in a flash of light, also wearing a red tunic and wielding his Falchion. Following suit, two others appeared, one in a flash of light and one dropping gently from the sky. Ike and Pit, both clad in blue, began staring them down, each wielding Ragnell and Palutena's Bow, respectively.

Looking around him, and what each of the four of them were currently standing on - and soon _would_ be standing on - Link knew that this would be a tricky fight. The scenery, all of which was virtual reality - a concept that had taken him a while to get used to - flashed past in the background. It was very pretty, but he doubted that he'd be paying it much attention soon.

"Three!" the announcer cried. He assumed it was actually Master Hand, but, even after all this time, he still wasn't entirely sure. "Two! One! Go!"

Immediately, Pit swung the two halves of his bow around, then lifted them above his head. "The fight is on!" he yelled.

Taking a leaf from his partner's book, Ike held out his sword. "Prepare yourself," he said.

Apparently deciding to respond, Marth held his sword high in the air, then lowered it again with a twirl.

Giving a light smirk, Link decided to join in. He didn't want to be left out, after all, and it was all in good fun, anyway. He posed on one foot, his sword angled towards the other team, then stood back on two feet. Finally, after their friendly taunting, they were ready to start their five-stock team battle on Big Blue.

Immediately, the four fighters launched forward and swords began flying in all directions. As Link slashed at Pit, then spun around to slash at Ike, he knew how confusing this would look to anyone watching. He was barely keeping up with it himself, he noted, as he felt several weapons bumping into him. One struck him so hard that it caused him slight knockback. He was honestly glad that they couldn't actually harm each other, as it meant they could go all out without fear of injury.

Suddenly, Marth began attacking Ike with a Dancing Blade that soon turned green. The speed of the sword would have dazzled Link, but he was too busy rolling out of the way of a slash from Pit. Rolling behind the angel, he used his own energy to charge up his sword, then performed a Spin Attack to knock Pit away from him.

"Hyaaaargh!" he cried.

Glancing up, he noticed Ike dropping down off the Falcon Flyer and Marth dropping down after him. Well, he supposed it was time to take the fight elsewhere. Smirking at Pit, he wandered to the edge of the ship and pulled out his hologram fairy. He still had no idea why Master Hand had given him this, but he wasn't going to complain. Instead, he taunted Pit with it, then jumped off the ship. Down below, he landed on the Night Thunder and waited. Part of him was glad to have learned the names of all the vehicles from Captain Falcon's world - from Captain Falcon himself - though the information would probably never be useful to him.

On the other end of the stage, he saw that Marth and Ike were fighting on the Hyper Speeder. Ike used Eruption, stabbing downwards and engulfing Marth in flames. Link considered going over to help him, but, at that moment, Pit landed next to him and struck him in the face. Retaliating, Link began to slash back. Some time during the fight, the Falcon Flyer disappeared from above them, though he wasn't really paying it much attention.

All of a sudden, there was an almighty 'whack'. Link quickly turned his head, just in time to see Marth fly into the invisible void at the side of the arena.

"Urgh!" Marth cried as he vanished.

Link's eyes widened in horror. "Marth!" he yelled.

In his moment of distraction, Pit used Angel Ring to smack him in the face multiple times. "Hiyayaya!" Pit cried.

Annoyed, Link hit him back and, catching him in the air, hit him twice more. "Huuuuah!" Pit got knocked back some distance.

Ignoring the angel, he ran to Marth's aid, hopping across the Crazy Bear and meeting Ike halfway on the Death Anchor. Jumping up, he got into an ending blow and bounced on Ike's head. The impact sent Ike flying into the void.

"Arrrrgh!" he cried.

"Ike!" Pit cried. "You'll pay for that!"

He came charging across the cars, firing a Palutena's Arrow at him. It merely bounced off the Hylian Shield, which only seemed to enrage the angel further. Reaching him, the two continued to slash at each other with their weapons.

Eventually, Link felt himself getting tired. He probably wasn't going to last much longer. Glancing up, while taking another Angel Ring to the face, he noticed that the cars were moving backwards. He could see the Big Fang falling back in front of the Night Thunder, which probably meant that the Hyper Speeder had disappeared off the stage. Just as he was considering jumping back over to the Crazy Bear, Pit gave him one last smash, which sent him flying into the void.

The feeling of dematerialising off the side of the stage was indescribable. It wasn't painful, just very uncomfortable. It was like a tingling, numbing sensation that you never quite got used to.

"Argh!" he cried.

After a few moments of floating in empty space, he materialised at the top of the stage.

* * *

Marth exchanged slashes with Pit on the roof of the Night Thunder. As he was doing this, he noticed that Link and Ike had dropped down onto the Death Anchor to fight. It was always exhilarating to be part of these fights. He was quite used to fighting - having been in a war - but it was hard to truly enjoy it when you had to kill to survive. Here, they had no such worries. He did truly enjoy fighting; he'd just always wished that death didn't need to come with it.

Spotting an attack coming from Pit, he held up his sword to use Counter. Palutena's Bow bounced harmlessly off it and a quick swing of Falchion caused Pit some knockback.

"Soko da!" he cried.

It was at this moment that he saw something drop down next to him. Noticing that it was a Spicy Curry, he sighed. He really hated this stuff, but it was useful, so he'd best grab it before someone else did. Swinging his sword, he smashed Pit away from him. The angel flew backwards and landed on a floating platform, momentarily dazed, and Marth took the chance to pick up the small plate and down the curry on it. The plate immediately disappeared.

The effect was instantaneous. Suddenly, it felt like his entire mouth was on fire. Dancing around in extreme pain - and wondering how on Earth this stuff didn't give the mouth third-degree burns - he jumped up to where Pit was on the platform and forced the flames into his face. He kept this up for a few moments, then the pain disappeared as quickly as it came. Pit seemed slightly disorientated, so he took this opportunity to smash him into the void.

"Argh!" Pit cried.

While the angel was down and out, he decided to rush over and help his team-mate, who had hopped across to the Crazy Bear to continue his fight with Ike, as the Death Anchor was slowly drifting off the side of the stage. Joining them, he aided Link in slashing and stabbing Ike. Soon enough, though, Pit was back down and standing on the Big Fang, which had fallen back to join the line-up. The angel readied his bow and shot a Palutena's Arrow at him. Because he was ready for it, he activated his shield and it harmlessly bounced off.

He would never understand why Master Hand had given them the power to create shields, but he wasn't about to complain. Instead, he grabbed Ike and slammed him hard on the ground. When the mercenary got up, however, he launched his sword into the air, catching Link as he did so.

"(Aether!)" Ike cried, jumping up to grab Ragnell and send Link crashing down. He was immediately launched into the void.

"Argh!" Link cried.

"Link!" Marth yelled.

He knew that Link wouldn't be hurt, but it _was_ always a worrying sight, seeing him lose a stock. It was almost like he was actually dying. Anyone who knew Marth knew he wasn't a big fan of watching people die, especially people he really cared about.

An assist trophy dropped near Pit. Marth was about to go over and grab it, but a strike from Ike's blade stopped him. Frustrated, he took a few swings at Ike, attempting to get him away from him.

Elsewhere, he heard the sound of Pit breaking open the assist trophy. He was so busy fighting that he wasn't able to turn around to see which hologram was about to attack him.

"(Taste my blade!)" Lyn yelled before Marth was knocked clean off the car.

Landing on the road, he tried to get his footing and jump back onto the Crazy Bear, but the momentum shoved him into the void.

"Urgh!"

* * *

Link, rejuvenated from his last 'death', continued to fight alongside Marth in the current cluster of fighting that was taking place between the Big Fang and the Mighty Typhoon - two cars that had recently dropped in-line in front of the Night Thunder. He had to admit - as his sword passed straight through Marth - it was nice that it was physically impossble to harm your own team-mate. It would have been a heck of a problem, otherwise. Especially in _these_ kinds of fights, where everyone was clustered together.

Suddenly, a Dragoon Piece landed on the Mighty Typhoon. Reacting quickly, he jumped over, grabbed it and stuffed it in his adventure pouch. Instantly, Ike and Pit came charging after him, slashing at him repeatedly with their weapons. He knew what they wanted, but he wasn't about to give it up without a fight. Soon, Marth ran over and, once again, joined in the fight.

Eventually, the continuous knockback caused Link to end up on the nose of the car. Here, he got an idea. It was crazy, foolish and stupid, but it could be fun. Smiling at the Blue Team, he jumped off the car and rode the track down to the other side. He was never sure if it was the cars or the road itself that was moving on this stage. Probably both. Regardless, one had to be careful when doing this little trick.

At the last second, he jumped off the road and landed on the Night Thunder. It was at this moment he noticed that Pit had copied him. Although, with the cars starting to separate, he was having a harder time getting back onto the car. Seeing this as his chance, he pulled a bomb from his bomb bag and tossed it. It blew up in Pit's face and caused him to fly into the void.

"Urgh!" he cried.

"(Nice shot, Link!)" Marth called out.

He swelled with pride and turned towards his team-mate. "Thanks, Marth!" Suddenly, Ike hopped across the cars, did a Dash Attack and crashed into him, knocking him off the Night Thunder. Thinking fast, he used an aeriel Spin Attack to recover. "Hyaaaargh!"

Landing back on the car, he began slashing at Ike. Meanwhile, Pit had landed on the Mighty Typhoon and was exchanging blows with Marth. Somewhere in the confusion, the Dragoon Piece fell out of his adventure pouch. Ike immediately picked it up and stuffed in the brown thing that was strapped to his chest before continuing the fight.

Getting out his Clawshot - he had two, but Master Hand had only allowed him to use one - Link shot it towards Ike. Since he was in such close range, it grabbed him and dragged him closer. This gave him the chance to pummel Ike a few times with the hilt of his sword. The Dragoon Piece fell out and landed on the Big Fang, which Marth immediately jumped across to. Grabbing the Dragoon Piece, he stuffed it down his boot.

It was at this point - as Link continued to fight Ike - he noticed that the cars were, once again, moving backwards. The car that he and Ike were on was slowly disappearing into the void. Ike seemed to notice this too, as he glanced behind him for a moment.

Not wanting to pointlessly lose a stock, Link jumped across to the Big Fang. Ike followed suit, but decided to attack him while his guard was down.

"Aether!" he cried, jumping up to grab his sword. Link tensed, ready to dodge, but Ike suddenly hit the road and disappeared off the stage. "Aurgh!"

Link blinked. He stared at the same spot for a few moments longer, then sighed. Shaking his head, he hopped across the cars to where Marth was.


End file.
